Crest whitestrips glamorous white vs professional effects

At my last dentist appointment, I asked the doc about professional teeth whitening. He told me, “No can do since you’re pregnant…but in the meantime, you could try Crest Whitestrips.” SAY NO MORE, Doc.

#RealTalk – I’ve got a list of beauty “treatments” to explore post-partum (including things like microblading, skin lasering, etc), and professional teeth whitening was on it.

Was.

I made my list, checked it twice, and I can now say that professional teeth whitening at the dentist is officially OFF the list. Because I have fina-freakin-lly found an at-home system that actually *works* for my teeth! Praise the sweet Lord Baby Jesus.

If you follow along on any other social media platform, chances are, this is no new news, since I’ve been posting my progress + updates regularly for the past ~two weeks. But for anyone else – SURPRISE! I’ve been doing a 14-day Crest Whitestrips Challenge to whiten + brighten, and…it worked. I am so STOKED to share my journey + results with you, in case any of you have had Q’s, concerns, or have been in the market for whiter smiles. To start, let’s get a few things straight right outta the gate:

YES, I have tried Crest Whitestrips in the past. I’ve tried a basic pack here or there that you just pick up at the drugstore – and while I thought maybe I had seen results, I honestly didn’t have too much of a solid opinion one way or the other. I blame a few things for this.

1. I had never used them consistently. It was always an I need whiter teeth RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND kinda urge that would compel me to throw on a strip, but it was very much based on my emotions when I’d look in the mirror and wasn’t necessarily a controlled experiment or process. I’m not the most Patient Patty on the block. Can ya tell? 😉
2. I had never given much thought into which type of whitestrips I was actually purchasing. I’d just use whatever was on stock in my cabinet. TBH, I might’ve been using EXPIRED strips for all I knew – it just went back to that instant urge to whiten + brighten NOW, and that was that. (Hint: that’s not how it works – ha!)

YES, I have been working with Crest to test out these strips.

NO, they are not paying me to say specific things (reminder: I ONLY work with companies that let me share my 100% honest, open opinion with you guys…only, always, forever amen.) If you’ve been following along on my Instastories, hopefully you’ve seen it all as it is, since J + I have been checking in pretty regularly with our updated smiles throughout the challenge!

Which brings us to…J did the Crest Whitestrips Challenge WITH me! This was a total happy accident (Because I accidentally bought two boxes instead of one) that ended up being a fun little bonding exercise. 😉 Since I had *exactly* enough strips to last us BOTH through all 14 days of the Challenge, he jumped right on board to join – and was probably the most enthusiastic teeth whitening strip tester on the face of the planet. Bless his heart. For the Challenge, we both used Crest’s 3D White Glamorous White Whitestrips for 30 minutes every single day for 14 days, tracking our results as we went. J + I are both BIG on smiles. We’re both teeth people, so we’re both very particular about our own smiles being AWAP – as white as possible, of course. 😉 And we’ve both actually considered trying professional whitening at our dentist’s office, since we both have noticed a bit of unwelcomed staining as we’ve each gotten older from our mutual loveloveloves of coffee + Cabernet. So having the chance to *thoroughly* test out a drugstore alternative was a very warmly welcomed challenge in our household!

First thing’s first, if you’re wondering HOW to use whitening strips, here are a few quick tips for Crest teeth whitening:

• Always read the instructions that came with your specific box of whitestrips. These are some general guidelines, but you jsut want to ensure you use the type you bought correctly!
• Don’t brush your teeth right before applying the strips. Might sound gross, but actually having a little bit of grit there will help the whitestrips stick better!
• Take the strip off its line, and put the gel side directly onto your teeth. Make sure the strips are lined up to your gum line for best results!
• Press the strip down onto your teeth and fold them below + behind.
• DAS IT. Go about your daily business, wash the dishes, start a business, clean your bagpipes – whatever ya gotta do as your teeth whiten. Bless up.
• Double check your specific box instructions for how to long to keep yours on for best results!

A few things to note about the product itself before jumping into some before-after shots:

• Crest 3D White Glamorous Whitestrips use the same enamel-safe whitening agent that dentists use. It actually says all over the box how they’re ADA (American Dental Association)-approved, which I did not realize going into it!
• They’re designed to remove up to 10 years of tough, set-in stains from coffee, wine, smoking, etc. Granted, whitestrips might not have the same results if your teeth are tinted a specific way and not stained. If you were just born and #blessed with teeth that are a more grey hue or a little yellow-er, and it’s not FROM something specific or resulting from surface staining, they might not have the same effect, and you might have to consider something like professional bleaching to actually change your teeth to be whiter.
• Crest’s Advanced Seal™ Technology keeps these bad boys PUT. It’s a specific technology they’ve created to prevent your whitestrips from slipping or sliding – something that I distinctly remember being a pain point/issue for me when using them years ago, so I so wholeheartedly appreciate it now!

If you’re still wondering, “Do Crest 3D Whitestrips work???“, I’ll let all of the pictures speak for themselves, because you can see the before/during/after with your own eyes – so you be the judge! These pictures are from Day 1 before starting, Day 3, Day 7, and then the last day: 14!

It says on the box that you see results in as few as 3 days that last for 6 months and beyond – and honestly, I don’t even think I would’ve needed to finish the challenge BECAUSE I saw results so quickly. I’d just buy the pack, use it for the minimum or until I was satisfied with the results, and then save the rest for a rainy day when I’m feelin’ in need of a post-coffee or post-wine pickmeup after one of those weeks.

It also says on the box that they whiten 2x better than a leading tooth whitening toothpaste. I can attest to this firsthand too, since I ONLY use whitening toothpastes, and I noticed a definite difference in my smile after the first 3 day window. It actually surprised me.

Another pleasant surprise was the general ease of use. Like I said before – I had used whitestrips in the past that slipped or slided around. And I had ALSO used whitestrips in the past that tasted…blech. It used to be something I lowkey dreaded doing, justbecause it tasted slimy and unpleasant while whitening and left a less-than-stellar aftertaste in my mouth, too.

That is NOT THE CASE here, peeps! Bless up and give a bonus to whoever invented their new Advanced Seal™ Technology, because there is ZERO slippage and ZERO weird taste happening. For our challenge, we incorporated our Crest Whitestrips into our nighttime routines. J would whiten in the shower or while reading a book to unwind, and I would whiten while doing my skincare routine…since Lord knows my nighttime skincare routine takes a solid few minutes. Ha! 😉 But you can even drink water while wearing them, and they won’t budge.

I also wanted to highlight a few Q’s I’ve gotten from you guys specifically as the Challenge has progressed, since many popped up more than once (and are totally common, reasonable Q’s!):

“Do these hurt your teeth at all? I have super sensitive teeth and I’ve been nervous to try.”

Nope! J + I hopped on Stories mid-challenge to chat sensitivity a bit, but the gist for anyone who missed it: I experienced ZERO sensitivity. And for some backstory, I *do* tend to get a little sensitive if I eat something cold, so I was personally unsure how this would go!

J experienced some sensitivity around day 2/3, but it went away and he finished the challenge no problemo.

“My teeth are sensitive so it’s kinda sad, because I can’t seem to use any whitening treatment that works. Any suggestions?”

I’d recommend trying these specifically! I can’t speak to other Crest Whitestrips specifically since this Glamorous 3D was the type that we tested, but like I said – no sensitivity for me, and it dissipated for J. PLUS, since these work so dang fast, I’d say give ’em a whirl since only 3 days will get you results to last 6+ months…so you don’t actually HAVE to be using them for two weeks if you see results after 3 days and need a breather to give it a break and see how it feels!

“Is this safe for your enamel?”

You betcha! I know I mentioned it earlier, but it’s worth saying again since this is SUCH a common Q! They’re approved by the ADA + say on the box specifically that they’re “enamel safe,” since they’re using the same whitening ingredient as the dentist.

“Did you actually see results? I’m always so hesitant to buy them!”

YAAAS GIRL. I mean, hopefully my before/after shots speak for themselves up above – ha! But I *definitely* noticed results personally. Again, your level of results will depend on your level of surface staining, too. But I’ve noticed it in pictures of myself (since I have to take pictures of myself for a living…ha!), and J stopped me mutiple times in conversations just to say, “WOW, your teeth are reaaaaally white!”

“I’ve always wanted to try them…bit I’m a little skeptical if it’s worth the price?”

These strips specifically are $36.99 at Walmart.

For some perspective, I did a bit of research on “professional teeth whitening” options from my dentist specifically, and they offer two: the first being a take-home tray system for surface staining, and the second being a process called Zoom! that involves actual bleaching (like I mentioned earlier). For both, it says online “payment plans available.”

IDK about you, but “payment plans available” is like code for “more than 30 bucks.” Heck, that says “more than the cost of your entire Target run, where we know you spent way more than you meant to anyways.” 😉 And since with 3 days of use you’ve got 6+ months worth of whiter + brighter teeth, and with the full box you can remove up to 10 YEARS worth of stains…I’d say it’s a no brainer. Def worth the price, girlfriend!

Have you ever tried Crest Whitestrips? Specifically, have ya picked up Crest 3D White Glamorous Whitestrips as of yet?

If not, will you be trying? Do you struggle with wanting whiter teeth? Have you tried other options out there? Have you ever done professional teeth whitening before? SO MANY Q’s. And I wanna hear all of your A’s!

*Thanks to Crest, a brand I lovelovelove, for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions + thoughts presented are entirely my own. Thank YOU for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!